FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT MIKE D ANTONI - PAGE 5

In his last United Center appearance on Jan. 8, 2008, Eddy Curry dropped 29 points, eight rebounds and four blocks on the Bulls in a rare Knicks road victory. "That definitely feels like a long time ago," Curry said. "But I think those days are close again. I'm feeling 100 percent." That's hard to believe given the professional and personal tumult that Curry has experienced. Curry, 27, played just 12 minutes in three games last season because of injury and then the Knicks barred him from practicing in this season's training camp until he improved his conditioning.

The Sports Xchange Report: Jackson, D'Antoni top candidates for Lakers' job Phil Jackson and Mike D'Antoni have emerged as the top two candidates to replace Mike Brown as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, ESPNLosAngeles.com reported Friday night. "It's neck and neck" between those two, the source told ESPN.com. Brown was fired Friday, after a 1-4 start, and, according to the report, the Lakers will try to contact both men as early as Saturday morning. The team is likely to contact other possible candidates as well.

The Sports Xchange Report: D'Antoni hopes to coach Lakers on Sunday Mike D'Antoni might be ready to begin the job he accepted earlier this week. The new Los Angeles Lakers coach hopes to be on the bench guiding the team for Sunday's home game against the Houston Rockets, according to ESPNLosAngeles.com. D'Antoni is recuperating from a recent knee-replacement operation. "I think (I will coach Sunday) unless I wake up too tired," D'Antoni said, according to the website.

Dec 4 (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Lakers, still trying to find their way this season, will be without Pau Gasol when they try to snap the Houston Rockets' five-game home winning streak on Tuesday. Gasol, averaging a National Basketball Association career low in points with 12.6 per game, will take a rest on the bench due to tendinitis in both knees, the Lakers said. Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Lakers (8-9), struggling to meet lofty pre-season expectations, will try to climb back to the .500 mark against the Rockets (8-8)

SportsDirect Inc. Recap: Grizzlies 106, Lakers 93 Grizzlies 106, Lakers 93: Darrell Arthur paced a balanced attack with 20 points in a reserve role as host Memphis cruised past reeling Los Angeles. Arthur led six players in double figures for the Grizzlies, who used a 35-point second quarter to build a sizable lead and clamped down defensively to make it stand up. Mike Conley added 19 points while Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay and Tony Allen had 12 apiece. Kobe Bryant had 29 points for the Lakers, who lost Dwight Howard to a right shoulder injury in the second quarter.

The Sports Xchange EditorsNote: adding Howard injury Report: Lakers hold clear-the-air meeting, but Howard injures shoulder later The Los Angeles Lakers held a clear-the-air team meeting Wednesday morning, according to the Los Angeles Times, and some of the discussion was rather loud. Kobe Bryant even asked Dwight Howard whether he disliked playing with him. "Guys went at each other a little bit," a witness told the Times. Things did not go well for Howard in Wednesday night's game against the Grizzlies, though, as he suffered a shoulder injury that forced him to leave the contest.

The Sports Xchange Jackson says he would not coach 'clumsy' Knicks if asked Phil Jackson said in an interview with HBO that, even if the team asked, he would not be interested in coaching the New York Knicks. Jackson made the comments in an interview with HBO's "Real Sports," ESPN New York reported. The segment is scheduled to air Tuesday night. "I wasn't gonna take that job, that's for sure," Jackson said. He said was not been asked by Knicks owner James Dolan to coach the team.

The Sports Xchange GM hopes Howard stays in LA Now that the Los Angeles' Lakers season has ended, the speculation will begin in earnest about center Dwight Howard's return next season. Howard has the option of becoming a free agent on July 1. He says he hasn't made up his mind yet, but Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak remained steadfast Tuesday in expressing his hope that Howard will be back for a second season and beyond in a Lakers uniform. "I know in my heart that this is a place where I think he should be," Kupchak said, according to ESPN.